Awoken
by Angel of the Axis
Summary: Lacey is Jeff's best friend. When he moves into her neighborhood, both plan to hang out on the night of the party. But when he gets into an accident, Lacey is forced to realize the true nature of her best friend. Will she try to reason with him? Or will she be forced to run away from the boy she called 'friend? Rated M for blood/gore, adult stuff and language.
1. Best Friends

**A/N: Here's my new novel-type thing on Lacey Harcollete's life, and she's Jeff and Liu's best friend. Enjoy~!**

* * *

_Cold Lives_

Lacey is Jeff's best friend, and both have enjoyed time together for years. When he moves into her neighborhood, both plan to hang out on the night of the party. But when he gets into an accident, Lacey is forced to realize the true nature of her best friend. Will she try to reason with him? Or will she be forced to run away from the boy she called 'friend'? Rated M for blood/gore and language.

**Lacey's Family:**

**Lacey Harcollete. Age fourteen. Birthday is April 20th. Single. Tall blonde, with crystal blue eyes. Best friend to both Liu and Jeff Woods. Favorite Color: Navy**

**Older sister: Charlotte Harcollete-Ferrel. Age twenty. Birthday is November 14th. Married. Tall ravenette with green eyes. Friend to Margaret and Peter Woods. Favorite Color: Pale Red**

**Brother-In-Law: Shawn Ferrel. Age twenty-one. Birthday is January 5th. Married. Medium-sized blonde with brown eyes. Friend to Lacey Harcollete, Holly and Derek Harcollete and Margaret and Peter Woods. Favorite Color: Green**

**Mother: Holly Gerginson-Harcollete. Age thirty-five. Brithday is May 25th. Married. Medium-sized blonde with green eyes. Friend to Margaret and Woods and Shawn Ferrel. Favorite Color: White**

**Father: Derek Harcollete. Age thirty-five. Birthday is May 31st. Married. Tall ravenette with blue eyes. Friend to Margaret and Peter Woods and Shawn Ferrel. Favorite Color: Light Brown**

* * *

Chapter 1: Best Friends

"Soooo, Jeff~ Finally moved to the neighborhood, huh?" Lacey laughed gently and ruffled the younger boy's hair.

Jeff pouted lightly, but stopped himself.

"So, Jeffers, are ya going to that kid's birthday party?" She asked.

He nodded.

She laughed. "Did your mom say 'Why, they would love to go!' like mine did?"

He shrugged. "More or less."

She hid a grin behind her hand.

"Someday I wish we could run away together, and simply live together." Jeff sighed into the sleeve of his favorite white sweatshirt.

Lacey giggled. "Is that a proposal I'm hearing?"

Jeff flushed. "N-No!"

Lacey smiled at Jeff. "Don't worry. I think the same thing. But Jeff, we're only teens. Well, you're thirteen and I'm fourteen, but still! Our parents would never let us. But if you were eighteen and I was nineteen, well..."

"Our parents would have to let us go. Exactly." Jeff finished for her with a small smile.

Lacey smiled even more. "C'mon, Jeffers, I like it when you smile! You should smile more."

Jeff flushed again, but put an even smaller smile on his face.

Lacey punched him in the arm lightly. "C'mon, you know I meant bigger."

Jeff sighed, smiling wider.

Lacey nodded. "That's better."

Jeff chuckled to himself. "Same ol' Lacey."

Lacey smiled to herself. "Same ol' Jeff." She said mockingly.

Jeff looked at her with a mischievous grin on his face. "Oh, come now, you."

He suddenly tackled her, and both rolled, Lacey giggling, and Jeff snickering, down the hill.

* * *

It was Thursday, the second to last day of the first week of school, and Lacey was waiting at the bus stop with Jeff and Liu as usual.

"So," She started. "First week of eighth grade is nearly over, huh?"

He sighed. "Yup."

"Nervous?"

"A lot."

Lacey sighed. "C'mon, Jeffers. Please, talk to me."

Suddenly, three skateboards flew over their heads, and Lacey stood up.

"Oh no...It's Randy and the Assholes." She groaned.

Said boy grinned at her, and Jeff felt his blood start to boil.

"Hello, Lacey," He purred.

"Hello, asswipe," She shot back.

Jeff glowered at Randy, while Keith and Troy started to snicker.

"Aw, c'mon, babe. Don't be like that."

"I'm fourteen and you're twelve, dickface, don't be such a bastard." Lacey huffed, sitting back down, even closer to Jeff than she was at first.

Jeff flushed a light pink, looking away.

Randy noticed almost immediately.

"Aw, and who is this? Your new boyfriend?" Randy snickered with his lackeys.

Lacey glared at him and punched him in the face, which sent him flying backwards.

"Can it, Randy. He's my best friend." She yelled.

"Your 'Best friend', huh? Sounds more like 'Boyfriend' to me." Randy groaned weakly, chuckling under his breath while wiping his bloody nose.

As his croonies stepped closer to Lacey, she pulled out a phone.

"One step closer and I call the Sexual Offender Hotline." She threatened.

Troy rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? Don't think we're falling for THAT one again."

Lacey glowered at him, and Troy cringed.

"You shut up too, fatass." She snapped.

As Jeff and Liu were watching this, Jeff felt a strange urge tug at his heart. The urge to hurt someone.

Suddenly, before anyone comprehended what was happening, Jeff was on his feet, and he'd punched both Keith and Troy in their stomachs.

Both spit up blood, and Troy started to heave on the grass next to himself.

Randy got out a knife and glared at Jeff.

"How dare you, you...you bastard!" He yelled, trying to slash out at Jeff.

Lacey grabbed it by the handle out of Randy's hand before it could get even an inch toward Jeff's face.

"Don't worry. He acts all tough but he's really a pussy." She explained as she slashed at his arms.

Randy screamed while Liu's eyes opened wide.

"Jeff, Lacey, the bus!" He called.

Lacey eyed the bus as she put the knife in her skirt pocket.

"Run!" She shouted, and the three ran an opposite route to the school, unaware of the oncoming cop cars.


	2. The Cops

**A/N: Welcome back for the next episode of Cold Lives!**

**Thank you to the ones who favorited/followed! It made my day.**

* * *

Last time on Cold Lives...

_"Jeff, Lacey, the bus!" He called._

_Lacey eyed the bus as she put the knife in her skirt pocket._

_"Run!" She shouted, and the three ran an opposite route to the school, unaware of the oncoming cop cars._

* * *

Chapter 2: The Cops

All throughout the morning and afternoon, neither Lacey, Jeff or Liu spoke of the incident, merely listening to the teachers and squirming whenever special announcements came over the intercom, like "The suspects who beat up three boys named Randy, Troy and Keith aren't yet named."

At lunch break, the three met up in an abandoned janitor's closet and discussed what they'd done that morning.

"No one should know," Lacey explained. "Don't tell ANYONE about this, lest we get caught. If you feel an urge to tell, whisper it in your teddy bears' ears. Just don't tell any living thing, even flowers and animals. Especially when you're alone. Walls tend to have ears, you know."

Both boys nodded, and after lunch was over, they went their separate ways once more.

At the end of the day, the three avoided the bus home, taking the shorter way that they'd taken that morning.

As Lacey bid the boys a hasty farewell, for she lived right next door, she watched as the two disappeared into the open doorway before walking through her own front door.

Her mother looked up from the kitchen counter. "How was school, hun?"

Lacey forced a smile onto her face. "It was fine, mom."

* * *

Later, when Lacey's homework was done, she was stretched out on her bed, reading her favorite comedy novel.

Suddenly, her phone beeped, and she looked down at it, which was in her lap. She grinned when she saw the text:

_TO: Lacey_

_FROM: Jeff_

_SUBJECT: Why do u have the SOH on ur phone?_

She quickly punched the numbers and sent him a text of her own.

_TO: Jeff_

_FROM: Lacey_

_SUBJECT: Those dicks tried to rape me last year. Like they could! I kicked them in the balls LOL_

She waited for a minute before the phone beeped again, this time with:

_TO: Lacey_

_FROM: Jeff_

_SUBJECT: Oh god thats horrible_

Lacey giggled a bit and sent him another text.

_TO: Jeff_

_FROM: Lacey_

_SUBJECT: Yea but I drove them off before the bus came_

Lacey grimaced at the memory. It was still painful for her, even though they really weren't that tough back then. They'd grown considerably stronger since last time.

"Well, anyways, they can't hurt me now. They don't even know which house is mine!" Lacey told herself.

Suddenly, Jeff sent her another text.

_TO: Lacey_

_FROM: Jeff_

_SUBJECT: Well, are you free for me to escort you to the party on Saturday? ;)_

Lacey sighed. "Of course, dummy."

_TO: Lacey_

_FROM: Jeff_

_SUBJECT: Gah! Liu got my phone for a minute. Sorry, that was probably a stupid question._

Lacey giggled.

_TO: Jeff_

_FROM: Lacey_

_SUBJECT: Dont worry, I thought it was kind of cute._

She could only imagine him chuckling a little at that sentence.

* * *

The next morning, Lacey was awakened by her phone buzzing.

She sleepily glanced at it.

_TO: Lacey_

_FROM: Jeff_

_SUBJECT: Oh man the cops took Liu away! D:_

THAT got Lacey's attention.

She hastily punched in a text:

_TO: Jeff_

_FROM: Lacey_

_SUBJECT: How?!_

Instead of texting, her phone started to ring with 'Bad Boy', her ringtone for Jeff.

She pressed the green button and stated, "How'd they take Liu away?"

His voice was slightly broken, as if he'd been crying. _"They just...came this morning, and...gah, oh god, YOU'VE GOT TO HELP ME!"_

"Okay, okay, jus-just calm down, now!" Lacey started to panic herself.

_"I can't! He's my little brother! Oh man, and they said it's a year in JDC. I tried to tell him to say it was me, but he just...ARGH! This is all my fault!"_

Lacey sighed into the phone. "Jeffers, it's not your fault."

_"Don't call me that right now!"_

"FINE. Jeff, it's not your fault. It's mine. I was the one who beat up Randy and his friends." Lacey sighed in frustration.

Jeff seemed to calm down after that, and hung up with a muttered 'See ya'.

Lacey groaned at the dial tone, hanging up her end of the line unenthusiastically.

"What am I going to do...?" She asked herself reluctantly.

Finally, after very much thought, she simply decided to take the poor boy out for some ice cream.

As she knocked at the Woods' door, she wondered to herself if this was really the right choice to make.

Finally, his mother Margaret answered the door.

She smiled sweetly at Lacey, her smile a little forced for once.

"Hello, Lacey," She said. "May I help you?"

Lacey nodded, hands behind her back. "Yes, actually. May I see Jeff for about an hour? I wanna take him for ice cream."

Margaret seemed to hesitate. "Is your older sister driving?"

Lacey nodded, and Jeff's mother relaxed a little and allowed Lacey to come in.

Lacey knew Jeff's house by heart, since he had given her a layout of the house. She went up the stairs, and Jeff's room was on the right, two doors down from the stairs according to the map.

She knocked twice, and she heard a muffled 'Come in' from inside the room.

She opened the door, and before her laid quite a sight: Jeff was laying on his bed, still in his boxers (To Lacey's embarrassment), two boxes of tissues, one used up and the other halfway there next to him, his eyes were slightly puffy and his brown hair tassled.

She sighed. "Jeff, c'mon. I'm taking you for ice cream. But you'd better...get dressed first."

She patted his stomach and he sat up, rubbing at his eyes a bit.

"All right," He groaned as Lacey stepped outside his door, shutting it as she stepped out.

She could hear him shuffling around a bit, probably getting some wearable non-school clothes.

At last he opened the door, hair brushed, yet still slightly messy, and he was in a black ACDC shirt and dark blue jeans.

Lacey blushed as he simply stood there, waiting for her to say something.

"U-uh, let's just go." She squeaked, and the two strolled down the stairs and out the door, Jeff bidding his mother a short goodbye.

They walked down the street to Lacey's sister's house.

"Oh, man, I haven't seen my sister since dad's birthday!" She seemed so excited. "I can't wait to see her!"

Jeff simply shrugged and looked at his surroundings, a little dazed.

"Oh! I forgot. I'm getting a little cousin in a couple of months!" She beamed at him. "Isn't it great, Jeff?"

Jeff merely nodded and Lacey frowned, stopping in front of him.

"Jeff, what's wrong? Are you still...?" She started to ask.

"I'm fine." He suddenly said sharply.

Lacey sighed and looked down, but started to walk again.

Jeff couldn't help but feel bad for Lacey, feeling slightly angry at himself for snapping at her.

Lacey finally stopped at the door and knocked.

They waited a minute, Jeff having a frustrating inner battle about whether to say something to her or stay silent.

His thoughts were interrupted when Lacey's older sister Charlotte answered the door, her stomach a bit bigger than the last time he'd seen her, which was when he came to visit Lacey's family last summer.

Charlotte's face lit up when she saw Lacey.

"Lacey!" She cried, scooping her sister up in a hug.

"Lottie!" Lacey laughed, hugging her sister tightly.

Charlotte grinned over Lacey's shoulder at Jeff. "Nice to see ya again, squirt!"

Jeff just nodded.

When at last they stopped hugging each other, Lacey took a breath to calm her giggles.

"Lottie, I was planning on taking Jeff out for ice cream," Lacey explained. "I was wondering if you'd like to drive us?"

Charlotte looked at her watch. "Well, I honestly don't have anything better to be doing, so yes, I will drive you there! You have to let me buy everything, though."

Lacey sighed. "Fine."

Charlotte grinned and fist-pumped. "Yes! All right. Let's go to the Ice Cream Parlor!~"

* * *

**A/N: PLEASE R/R! Tell me what you liked and disliked about this story and ways that I can improve it!**

**I'll be waiting!~**


	3. That Kiss in the Bathroom

**A/N: Here's chapter 3 of Cold Lives!...You know what? Screw that. I'm calling it by its original name, 'Awoken' from now on!**

**But can you all do me a favor and tell me if you like this or not? Because I'm not going to be willing to work on a story no one likes.**

**Anyway, here you go. (Sorry for the short chapter! The party is supposed to be the next one.)**

* * *

Chapter 3: That Kiss in the Bathroom

At Lacey, Charlotte and Jeff's table, both teens had milkshakes, Lacey's coffee-flavored and Jeff's vanilla flavored, and Charlotte simply had an iced mocha.

Charlotte sighed dreamily as she sipped her mocha. "Aah, that hit the spot. We should do this more often. No worries, no cares in the world, just us and some good ol' ice cream."

Lacey muttered an agreement while Jeff was completely silent.

Lacey suddenly stood up and walked to the womens' bathroom, and Jeff started to trail her. Charlotte gave him a confused look, but said nothing as Jeff and Lacey disappeared around a corner.

Jeff suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the mens' bathroom, Lacey letting out a squeak of surprise.

"Jeff, wha-"

Jeff attacked her lips, their mouths molding together.

Lacey's protest suddenly turned into a small moan as she blushed dark magenta.

The kiss ended all too soon, and Lacey was left as a panting, blushing mess as she switched bathrooms carefully.

When the small group was finished, Charlotte cleaned up any messes they'd made and left the money on the table, with a twenty for a tip because of their great services.

Jeff and Lacey stayed silent, never talking, in the back while Charlotte drove in front.

Charlotte started to grow worried.

"Lacey, Jeff, why aren't you two talking?" She asked.

It was a couple of moments before Lacey decided to speak.

"Sorry. Something...uh, happened."

Charlotte sighed. "Well, at least I know you're okay. You were so silent I thought you died!"

It was truly meant as a joke, but neither Jeff nor Lacey could find humor in it.

Charlotte finally pulled up to her own driveway and ushered the teens and herself out.

"Well, that was fun, ne? Let's do that again sometime." Charlotte winked at Lacey and they bid each other a hasty goodbye.

* * *

Later that evening, Lacey laid on her bed, reminincing about the kiss she and Jeff shared.

"What does it mean...?" She whispered to herself.

Hugging her knees to her chest tightly, she could recall the times where they got along just fine, with nothing awkward happening between them, especially a kiss.

Lacey sighed. "What is this horrible feeling I have...?"

* * *

Meanwhile, next door in Jeff's house, he was thinking the same thing.

"Something bad is going to happen...I just know it." He muttered to himself.

"Something terrible..." They both muttered at the same time.

* * *

Later that night, Lacey tossed and turned.

_-In Lacey's Dream-_

_Lacey wore a beautiful white ruffled wedding gown with a white tiara, complete with a white-tinted veil._

_She looked absolutely stunning._

_"You may now kiss the bride." The priest finally relented, smiling a little worriedly at Lacey, who simply smiled in the direction of her now-husband._

_Lacey closed her eyes as he unveiled her, and slowly leaned forward to kiss him._

_When she didn't feel anything touching her lips, she opened her eyes and nearly screamed._

_Boy, she wished she hadn't._

_Instead of Jeff, she was met with a boy with slick black hair, a leathery white face and burnt red lips. His eyes were never closing, seemingly being burned to stay that way, and his mouth was in a permant sickening grin, blood surrounding the cuts on either side._

_Once he noticed she wasn't kissing him, he stopped and grinned even more, if that was possible._

_"What's wrong, darling?~" He purred. "Kiss me!"_

_Lacey gulped. How DARE this abomination have Jeff's voice!_

_Regret filled, she leaned forward and then their lips touched..._

Lacey screamed and shot up in bed, panting and eyes wide.

"What..." She breathed. "What the hell was that...?"

* * *

**A/N: I LIVE**

**Not that I didn't. xD**

**Anyways, she has THE DREAM~~!**

**I made a comic out of it and laughed at it because of how comical it was...even though this is supposed to be serious!**

**...Or should I say, THIS IS SPART-*shot***

**Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	4. The Party

**A/N: Hello, guys! Here's the next chapter for Awoken!**

**The current standings for future chapters are:**

**Chapter 5: Done**

**Chapter 6: In Progress**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter~**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Party

The day had finally come.

Lacey sat on her bed, hands tangled in her messy blonde hair.

"God, I honestly don't feel too good..." She murmured.

As she slowly trudged to her closet to get her fanciest dress and shoes, something caught her eye.

As she gathered it in her hands, her eyes lit up.

"Oh wow! I thought I'd lost this!" She breathed excitedly.

The item she put in the pocket of her blue track pants for later.

"Okay...now about those..." She muttered, and proceded to quickly get dressed.

As she brushed out her hair, she noticed that Jeff's window was open, and that he was looking outside.

Lacey smiled to herself and put some light blue eyeshadow on, adding mascara, blush and some light lipstick.

Once she was done, she got her best crystal blue sandals (The heeled kind), and got her white shawl.

She sighed, her eyes flickering toward Jeff's house.

* * *

The two families had arrived at Billy's house, and Lacey went to the back, where there were a few girls her age sitting around on a few lawn chairs, and several boys playing cowboy, it seemed.

Lacey smiled and went to sit by one of the girls.

Jeff found himself all alone, playing with the boys.

For a while, all was fine...

Until Lacey stood up when she heard strange rolling sounds on the pavement just on the other side of the white wood fence.

She recognized them right away and turned to Jeff.

"Jeff!" She yelled. "Randy's back!"

Jeff stopped what he was doing, whipping off his play-hat and dropping his fake gun just as Randy hopped over the fence on his skateboard, along with his two goons.

He smirked at Lacey in a way that made her flinch.

"Hello there, Lacey darling. Oh, and you. Jeff, is it?" He glared at Jeff. "I'm back for a rematch."

Jeff sent him a stronger glare. "I do believe we're even. I beat you up and you get my brother sent to JDC."

Lacey was about to intervene, but Randy spoke first.

"Oh, I don't go for even," He growled. "I go for winning. You may have kicked our asses the first time, but I can assure you that we'll win for sure."

Lacey chose this time to shout.

"Randy, no!" She screamed, catching the attention of Randy and Jeff. "It's me you want. _I_ was the one who beat up your fucking friends! Don't hurt Jeff, take me instead."

Jeff's eyes widened. "Lacey, no!"

Randy cacked maniacally. "If that's what you want, Lacey dearest."

Lacey gulped and ran to the house, with Jeff following her at her heels.

"Lacey! Lacey, wait!" Jeff pleaded, grabbing her arm.

Lacey was jerked back to meet his worried near-black eyes.

"Please don't. You don't know what this bastard is capable of!" He begged, shaking her arm for emphasis.

Lacey ripped her arm from his grasp and stared at him with a fierce look in her eyes.

"Jeff," She began in a defiant tone. "I know things about Randy that even his parents don't know. I can handle this, I promise."

Jeff pulled her in for another kiss.

"Be safe," He murmured to her lips.

When he pulled away, Lacey was lightly flushed but she nodded and continued to her destination.

Jeff smiled in her direction before getting knocked to the ground by Randy.

* * *

Lacey had reached the bathroom just in time to hear Randy and Jeff shouting and fighting. Well, Randy was doing most of the fighting and shouting.

For the first part of the fight, Jeff just lay there on the porch, not moving, just taking every part of abuse Randy gave him, even when a full bottle of vodka was smashed over his head.

Lacey wanted to scream and yell, 'Jeff, get up, get up! He's going to freaking kill you if you don't fight back!' but stilled her tongue as she decided she didn't want to watch anymore of the fight.

Lacey quickly shut and locked the door firmly, before starting to strip out of her dress.

Pulling a hairband out of her pocket, she tied her hair up and quickly revealed her black ninja outfit, sword and all.

She sighed, looking out the window one last time.

"Let's do this," She murmured fiercely.

* * *

Jeff had finally begun to fight back when all of a sudden, a shout came from the open doorway.

"Hey, assholes! It's go time!"

Randy barely had any time to react when Lacey quickly tackled him to the ground, kicking and punching and besting him.

Seeing Lacey fight Randy made something in Jeff snap. Something...keeping him sane. Gone was his sanity...and in its place was a heartless, ruthless monster. A bloodthirsty, killing monster machine. He could only watch as his best friend since kindergarten fought the vicious twelve-year-old bastard.

His sanity quickly disappeared like mist and he pushed Lacey out of the way and punched Randy in his heart, hard enough to stop it.

Randy gasped for breath, his efforts to push the older boy off him, all the while Jeff punched him harder and harder in his heart, blood gushing through the open wound he was creating until finally, Randy gave his last breath and died, blood running down his open mouth.

Lacey just sat in shock, growing slightly worried when she saw Jeff's emotionless eyes bore into hers.

Lacey suddenly drew her sword, standing up quickly.

"Jeff!" She cried. "Look out!"

Jeff didn't react in time, and Lacey drove her sword into Troy's leg.

He screamed, falling down. He fumbled with his gun, shooting a couple times at Jeff, but Lacey grabbed his shoulders and knocked him down just in time for one of the bullets to lightly skim his sweatshirt, obviously aiming for his own heart.

"Jeff!" Lacey yelled. "I told you to dodge! That bullet could've killed you!"

Keith suddenly came at her, purposely grabbing her by her breasts from behind to yank her away.

Jeff growled fiercely, but Keith just kept pulling.

"Keith, you asshat! Let. Me. Go." Lacey yelled in pain.

She drove her sword in his arm next, and he let go long enough for her to push him away.

She quickly grabbed his own gun and tsked.

"Keithy, Keithy, Keithy," She tsked. "This is why twelve year olds shouldn't play with guns. Observe."

She then shot Troy in the chest, narrowly missing him in the heart purposely. Troy screamed in pain.

Lacey gave the gun to Jeff, motioning to him not to shoot anymore as she turned back to Keith, who watched his partner in horror.

"What would your mother think if she saw you with that thing?" Lacey continued in a chiding voice, shaking her finger at him.

"Troy..." He whispered, then clenched his teeth.

"You'll pay for that, you bitch!" He yelled, grabbing Troy's gun from his shaking hand and starting to shoot at her.

Jeff countered by shooting back, missing.

"Let's go, Jeff! You deal with Keith in the house while I call the police!" Lacey shouted, running towards the house.

Jeff nodded and led Keith toward the bathroom on the second floor.

Lacey ran toward the living room, getting out her cell phone. She quickly pressed number 1, because she had the police on speed dial.

The police quickly answered the phone.

_"911, what's your emergency?"_

"Help! My name is Lacey Harcollete and I've got three twelve-year old boys that attacked my friend and I! One is dead, one is fatally wounded and the other is still fighting him!" Lacey nearly yelled into the phone.

_"Okay, now just calm down, ma'am. Can you give me the address, please?"_

"Uh, it's..." Lacey scrambled to the front of the house, where it read "4211" on the mailbox.

"The adress is number 4211 on Boullington Cul-De-Sac! Please hurry!"

_"Okay, ma'am. The police are on their way right now. If you can, please stay on the line until they get there."_

"Okay." Lacey nodded frantically.

Suddenly, she heard Jeff's frantic screams.

"I'm sorry, Operator, but I've really got to put down the phone!" She hastily stuttered and quickly hung up, racing toward the flight of stairs.

The sight made her heart drop to her stomach.

Jeff was scrambling down the hallway, every inch of his skin on fire. His face seemed to take it the worst, though. His painful screams forever chilled Lacey to her core.

"Jeff! Hang on, I'll get the fire extinguisher!" Lacey hollered over her shoulder as she ran toward the kitchen, grabbing the extinguisher as soon as she heard Jeff fall to the ground.

She quickly aimed it at him and pulled the trigger-like handle on it, spraying that white foamy stuff everywhere on him.

_'Oh, please be okay, please be okay,' _She silently pleaded, stopping when every inch of him was covered in the white foam-like fluff.

Her mother and father rushed over, and Lacey couldn't take the sight anymore.

"Honey, what's the matter?" Her mother asked, pulling her into a hug.

Lacey felt tears sting her eyes as she rushed for the stairs, not caring if she bumped into people or not.

She finally reached the bathroom, and Keith was half-alive, chuckling a little to himself, only stopping to wince in pain every once in a while.

Lacey pointed her sword at him, tears running down her face at a rapid rate. Keith atomatically paled considerably.

"You son of a bitch," She whispered, and drove her sword into his chest.

Keith's eyes bugged open and he opened his mouth in a silent scream, hands raising to hers to try and pull out the blade, but after a moment, he finally fell silent, hands dropping to his sides, one flopping onto his stomach, blood running in a slanted line down his mouth as blood rose from inside the wound and spilled slowly over his black and red punk T-shirt.

Lacey slid to her knees, sobbing silently for a minute or two, as her mother and father stepped in.

"Honey, we heard everything from the police," Her father said gently, willing her to stand back up.

"You're a hero for how you acted for your friend," Her mother added, with a grim undertone to her usually calm voice, and Lacey nodded sullenly, getting her dress and shawl back on.

Before she forgot, Lacey quickly grabbed her bloodied sword, pieces of damaged, no longer beating heart sticking to it, and Lacey made sure to pull it out quickly, her mother grimacing in disgust when the dark red, almost black blood and random fluids seemed to seep through his shirt and started to form a small puddle underneath him.

As they went downstairs, she found Jeff's mother huddled over him, sobbing into his one-size-too-big white sweater.

Lacey felt a few tears cascade down her cheeks herself.

It was very unlike Jeff, the once smiling, laughing and joking brunette she once knew, to be so still and near-lifeless. The only consolation she had was the very slight rising and falling of his chest.

Lacey simply sat next to him, holding his scorched hand in hers, a couple of tears falling onto his face, making the bark-looking skin glisten.

"Excuse me," A new voice suddenly broke the silence, making Lacey look up at her.

A female officer with shoulder-length wavy blonde hair and glasses gazed down at her, wearing the standard police uniform. She bent down.

"Excuse me, dear," She started. "Are you Lacey?"

Lacey nodded.

The officer smiled a little and held out her badge for Lacey to see. "I'm Officer Williams, LAPD. You're the one who called the police, correct?"

Lacey nodded again.

The officer put her hand on Lacey's shoulder. "Sweetie, you're a hero for calling the police so quickly. Thanks to your quick actions, we might be able to save him."

Lacey tried to smile through watery eyes at the young officer, then she looked back down at Jeff.

"Lacey, honey," The female officer sat on her knees next to her, patting her back a bit as Lacey choked out a strangled sob.

"Lacey," The officer started, catching Lacey's attention. "Would you like to be the one to carry him?"

Lacey stood back up. Trying to appear strong, she nodded a little shakily, and bent down to pick Jeff up, the officer helping her.

All around her were sad faces, some full of tears, and some silently giving her their sympathy as they gazed at her.

Lacey mentally scoffed. She didn't need their sympathy. What she wanted was for Jeff to be alive.

It was very hard to think about just a few days ago, when she and Jeff were having the time of their lives, laughing and playing.

As he was loaded into the ambulance, Lacey watched with sad eyes as the police cars and that big red ambulance drive away, nearly as quick as when they'd shown up. No sooner than when they'd left the neat driveway, news reporters rushed inside, asking questions and flashing cameras at Lacey about a mile a minute.

"So what are you going to do about it now?" One reporter asked.

Lacey glared at said reporter. "All I fucking want is for my friend to be alive, god damn it. Now leave me alone."

Lacey's mother put her hands on Lacey's shoulders.

"Come on," She gently murmured. "Let's get back home."

"When will I be able to see him?" Lacey asked.

"Another day, honey," Her father appeared next to her, holding her hand loosely. "Another day."

Lacey felt terrible. Even her mother was somber enough not to lecture her on her language.

Lacey walked back to her home with her parents, her head toward the ground. Nobody noticed the tears in her eyes as she thought of her broken, fragile friend.

* * *

**A/N: A little depressing, but I guess it had to be done.**

**So...Randy and Keith are dead! *The Wicked Witch is Dead starts playing***

**BUT will Troy stay alive? WILL he stop bullying Lacey and co? WILL I ever stop asking pointless questions we might know the answers to?**

**Find out in the next chapter of Awoken! :D**


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